Sadio Mane won the cup MVP award not only for his performance on the field, where he competed with Brahim until the last moment, but also for his actions in the final, convincing his teammates that the match should be finished, despite the insistence of coach Papu Thiau. Unfortunately and shamefully, the charges were withdrawn from the field due to the penalty, but at that time Brahim had not yet missed the penalty
At around 1:30 a.m., Mr. Mane went to the mixed zone and spoke to all the journalists. This guy is a star. He taught the sports world a lesson by saying: “African football did not deserve to end like this. We had come a long way and everyone was watching us. So I asked my teammates to get back on the pitch. I told them: We won like men, we lost like men and we were lucky to win in the end.”
Akon celebrates Africa Cup of Nations with Senegalese players
His reflection was magical. “Referees can make mistakes, and it’s not fair to judge referees. And most importantly, I did it for the people of the world who wanted to watch the game. The decision to play was ultimately everyone’s, but I insisted on getting back on the field.”
However, Sadio reiterated that although he will play in the 2026 World Cup in the summer, it will be his last, saying: “I want to keep going, but this is my last African Cup of Nations.”
